Behind Red Eyes
by Shiruba Neko
Summary: Scar centric drabbles, ranging anywhere from angst to humor. Drabble No.26: Ice Cream
1. Friend

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.  
**Spoilers:** For the 5th Lab arc up to Episode #24 (Affixing Memories)  
_**_A/N:_**_ Whoo. Another set of drabbles to add to the ever-growing horde. I'll add to this as the fancy suits me, aka when I have an idea, when I don't feel like writing on my other stuff, when I have writer's block on my other stuff, and when I'm bored. The genres and lengths for these will vary depending on my mood and inspiration, but they will all involve Scar somehow. Because Scar is simply t3h b357.

* * *

_

**Drabble the First: Friend**

**

* * *

**Friends? I have no friends. I want no friends. Friends leave, friends die…it is better simply not to have them than to deal with the pain once they are gone. Because they all leave eventually, one way or the other. I gave up on having friends years ago. But now… 

_"Scar, look out!"_

I try to kill him and his brother, and he saves my life.

_"Scar-san, what's the matter?"_

I treat him as a monster, and he asks me what is wrong, and listens, and _means_ it.

_"You're injured…"_

I murder his people, and he cares about my welfare.

_"Do you think I'm human?"_

By all rights he should hate me, and yet he trusts my word over that of his own brother.

Why? And why did I feel the need to defend him against that grinning monster of a killer? Why do I feel guilt about my goal of killing his brother, and why did that guilt ease when it seemed that they hated each other? And why…why has he become human in my eyes? Is it that…could I truly have…a friend?

* * *

_**A/N:** Awwww...isn't it sweet? Their little friendship is so very cute, ne? Anyway, please review!_


	2. State Alchemist?

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Second: State Alchemist?

* * *

**

Scar walked down the streets, hands in pockets and not doing anything in particular. Then, a military jeep pulled up beside him and a strange man with blond spiky hair and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth poked his head out of the driver's window.

"Hey, boss, you forgot this yesterday," the man called, and tossed something to Scar, who caught it with a slightly bewildered expression. He looked down and saw that it was a silver State Alchemist's watch. Now he was _really_ confused.

He blinked and said the first thing that came to mind, "Boss?"

"Well, yeah, you outrank me now, major."

"Major?"

The man leaned out further, "Hey, you feeling all right, boss?"

Scar blinked again, and held up the watch, "This is…mine?"

"Yep."

"So I'm a…"

"State Alchemist. Everyone was pretty surprised…"

Scar couldn't hear him anymore, and just stared blankly at the watch in his hands. '_State Alchemist…State Alchemist…I'm a State Alchemist…_' echoing in his head over and over and over…

* * *

Red eyes snapped open, and Scar looked wildly around himself. Seeing no man in a jeep, and no silver watch, he sighed in relief. '_Just a nightmare, thank Ishbala. I will _never_ go around killing State Alchemists right before I go to sleep _ever_ again…_'

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Hahahahaha__! Oh, the things that are spawned from those 'Things Characters Would NEVER Say' lists…the one I got this one from was Scar saying "Hello, I'm here to take the State Alchemist's Exam…". You know, I _like _this idea of Scar being a State Alchemist; it's funny as hell. I might actually expand it into a story one of these days…but in the meantime…-stamps copyright on it- MY idea. MINE. Now I'll answer reviews._

_Anasazi__ Darkmoon: Thanks. I don't think Al could hate anyone either. Glad you think I did Scar properly. Oh, and you're welcome for reviewing your story. It's really funny and good (and so is Gladiator, by the way).  
__crazyanimefreak15__: That it was, that it was.  
__GalacticHitchhiker42: Squee! I love your penname! Thanks for your nice review.  
__Lady Jaye1: Thanks much!  
__LadyRiona__: Yay, thanks a ton for reading my drabbles. :)_


	3. Happy Birthday

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace._

**Drabble**** the Third: Happy Birthday

* * *

**

Scar woke up one fine morning to find a piece of paper taped to his forehead. Wondering who could have possible done this without him waking up, he took it off and read the note written on it.

"Scar, come to the alley in between the Flower Shop and Bakery on 3rd Street at 2:00 PM today. We have Rick, Leo, AND Alphonse Elric, so you'd BETTER show up! Signed, Anonymous"

Scar's eyes widened, and he crushed the note with a snarl. This _had_ to be a trap, but what choice did he have?

* * *

It was exactly 2:00, and Scar stood with more than a little trepidation at the entrance to the alleyway specified in the note. After peering into it, searching for any signs of anyone, he walked inside, every muscle tensed for a possible and likely fight. A noise came from behind him and he whirled to see a shadowy figure speeding toward him far too fast to possibly dodge. He closed his eyes, expecting death, but all he felt was something slide under his chin and a slight pressure on the top of his head. Confused, Scar opened his eyes and pulled a brightly colored party hat off of his head. It even had a sprig of shiny plastic string coming out the top. Then there was a veritable explosion of confetti and streamers and the sound of about twenty noisemakers as people sprung out from behind everything that could conceivably hide a person.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCAR!" everyone shouted. Everyone. There were Ed and Al, the Rockbells, Mustang and his group, Hughes and family, Rick and Leo, his master…heck, even all the Homunculus were there! And they were all smiling and blowing noisemakers and wearing party hats.

Scar blinked as Mustang handed him a red balloon, "What is going on here?"

Al stepped forward, "It's your special day, Scar-san! So me and Rick and Leo went and got everyone to help throw a party for you! We even got all of them to agree to a special temporary truce so nobody would fight!"

"How did you know it was my birthday?"

Hughes cackled, "_I_ know EVERYTHING! Muhahahaha!"

"Now, hurry up and blow out the candles before Gluttony eats the cake," Lust brought forth a large crate, on top of which was a gigantic chocolate cake with white frosting and sprinkles and quite a few candles.

"I'll light them!" Mustang offered.

"NO!" shouted everyone else.

Eventually the candles got lit, and the still rather bewildered Scar blew them out. The cake was devoured quickly, and then there was ice cream and a piñata and all sorts of fun party games. Scar had by then given up on even _trying_ to make sense of what was going on. Then came the presents; one from each 'group'. The Elric brothers gave him a new pair of sunglasses, the military gave him back his old trenchcoat (rather bloody and torn and unwearable, but it's the thought that counts), Hughes gave him a stack of photos of Elysia, the Ishbalans gave him a needle and thread (to repair his coats, which, as we know, are constantly getting the right sleeves ripped off of them), and the Homunculus gave him…a tie?

Envy shrugged at the questioning looks, "We couldn't think of anything else."

Once it started to get dark, people began leaving. Eventually Scar was left alone in the alley with a pile of presents. Gluttony had eaten the rest of what remained. Although he was still rather confused about the whole business, he determined to himself that, yes, it had been a fairly happy birthday after all.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Hehehe, I got this idea on that evil 10-hour plane trip. Yeah, I was bored; I drew Scar in a party hat, and it just went on from there. You know, I think Scar's birthday is on April 27 (I totally made this up, by the way. It just sounds right to me.) , and I'm thinkin' he's either in his late twenties or early thirties. If anyone does happen to know exactly how old he is, I'd appreciate being told. Now to answer reviews!_

_crazyanimefreak15: Yep, he would. And that's funny in and of itself.  
__GalacticHitchiker42: Your sister is actually named 'Squee'? O.o Didn't know that was an actual name. Anywho, glad you liked it!  
__Anasazi__ Darkmoon: Hmmm…maybe like, Destruction Alchemist or Red Eye Alchemist or something weird like that. -shrug-  
__LadyRiona__: Hehe, glad you liked it. Also…well, of course he has to sleep sometimes. He only actually stops after he sees his master.  
__no__ one's friend: I wonder what he'd look like in a uniform…hmmm…_


	4. To Stop Them

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Fourth: To Stop Them

* * *

**

Scar was headed back to the cities. Although he would have liked to stay at the Ishbal camp with his own people, he had not completed his mission. Until he did, he would not rest. As he walked, he absentmindedly played with the hem of the new yellow jacket that they had given him. It wasn't as good or as sturdy as his old trenchcoat had been; he would miss it, but he knew it was gone forever. It took him a full day to get back to Central; normally it wouldn't have taken this long, but he was moving slowly so as to not put a strain on his not-quite-healed broken ribs.

He had barely gotten into the outskirts of the city when it happened. He was attacked from behind, and knocked to the ground. He tried to get up, but before he could stand, a foot smashed into his chest and sent him flying into a wall. Pain blossomed from his chest, and he knew that at least some of the ribs had been re-broken. A foot pressed lightly on his throat, keeping his face to the ground.

"That's right, stay down little Ishbalan," a voice sneered.

He growled, eyes blazing, "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The foot pressed down harder, cutting off his air, "You ask too many questions for someone in your position. But if you really want to know who I am, well, most people call me 'Monster'. And as for what I want…I'm just here to deliver a message. The Elric Brothers are going after the Philosopher's Stone. They're going to create one, and they're _very_ close to finding out how. And you know what _that_ means, don't you?"

Scar knew all too well. The foot released its hold on his neck, and he coughed, gasping for air. The voice whispered in his ear, "I'll be going now, but rest assured we'll meet again, little Ishbalan."

When Scar pulled himself to his feet, there was nobody else in the alley. But he put it out of his mind; if the Elric brothers were going to create a Philosopher's Stone…he had to stop them. It couldn't happen again. He began heading straight for the military HQ, where they were most likely to be found. It would be dangerous to go there in his present condition, but he had to. To stop them.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_In case you couldn't tell, this takes place right before the Fifth Laboratory Arc. I had been wondering exactly why Scar would have gone right into military HQ looking for the Elrics, especially since he was so injured he seemed barely able to walk. It didn't seem right; not like him at all. So I made up this little thing to kind of give an explanation as to why he would do something like this. Oh, and also in case you didn't pick up on it, that was Envy who was talking to Scar. I'll answer reviews now._

_GalacticHitchiker42: Ooooh, that's still a cool name. And about the song…YES! I've been waiting for someone to notice! I love that song so much.  
__Anasazi__ Darkmoon: Palm Tree Head and the Freak Patrol…that phrase is a source of endless amusement to me. Permission to quote on my profile? (I can picture it too…and it's funny. Very funny.)  
__QOL: Thanks much. :)  
__Madetsuchi__ Hayosuki: Oooo, I'd like to see that.  
__LadyRiona__: Happy belated birthday to Scar-san! It was very amusing to write.  
__Moonglitter2: Yay! Thanks!_


	5. More Than Was Bargained For

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.  
_**_A/N: _**_Before you start reading, let it be known that this is a humorous PARODY, although it might not be obvious at first. Thank you.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Fifth: More Than Was Bargained For

* * *

**

Scar and Ed were squaring off for a fight. Before this moment, there had been a mad chase through streets and alleys, some point during which Al had been left behind. Now there was nowhere else to run, save backwards, so the chase was over. Now was the time to fight. They both exploded into motion in the same instant, and the alley was filled with flashes of blue and red light, and other, more normal, sounds of fighting. It went on for a short time, neither gaining an advantage over the other, until Al's voice carried around the corner.

"Niisan!"

Ed turned back out of distraction, and when he looked forward again he found that Scar was nearly on top of him, right arm ready. But Al's cry had distracted Scar as well, and although he didn't look up, he _did_ trip as his shoe caught on a wide crack in the concrete. He fell forward…and his lips landed directly on Ed's. But it didn't stop there; he was still falling, and since he was much larger and heavier than Ed, the small alchemist fell backwards as well and wound up pinned under Scar, their mouths still pressed together. Time seemed to stop as both fighters froze, eyes wide with shock...

And that was when Al came running around the corner, promptly screeching to a halt as he caught sight of the pair. If he had been in possession of a human face, his mouth would have dropped open.

"N-niisan?"

Al's voice broke the spell, and Scar leapt backwards off of Ed, tripping again halfway and landing in a sitting position several feet away, his face an interesting shade of red, rubbing his mouth frantically and looking as though he was about to be sick.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA! MY MOUTH HAS BEEN POISONED!" Ed screamed as soon as Scar was off, half-running-half-crawling a few feet away and also proceeding to scrub his mouth with his sleeve. His face was even redder than Scar's.

After a few minutes of them sitting on the ground, gagging and wiping their mouths, they looked up, their eyes met, and they immediately looked the opposite way with a wince-shudder and resumed the gagging and wiping of mouths for several _more_ minutes. Finally they stood up, _still_ that interesting shade of red and pointedly not looking at one another. They were looking at Al instead. Rather threateningly.

"This. Didn't. Happen," they both spoke at the same time, emphasizing each word.

Al squeaked, "Uh…what didn't happen? I didn't see anything happen. Nope, nothing at all!"

"_Good_."

As Scar stomped quickly away, embarrassment and disgust radiating off him in waves, Al turned to Ed, "Um…I wasn't…uh…_interrupting_ anything…right…?"

Ed gave him a highly disturbed look, "NO! The bastard tripped and landed on me! How could you even _think_ something messed up was going on! He's freaking _twice_ my freaking _age_! _And_ he's a freaking GUY!"

Words could not describe how relieved Al was to hear this, "Well, it did kind of look like you two were-"

"DON'T EVEN SAY IT!" Ed shouted, giving another wince-shudder, '_I've been scarred for life…_'

Well, the two of them had certainly gotten more than they bargained for that day.

Although they definitely both wished that they hadn't.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Hahahahahahaha__! -cackles hysterically, tears coming out of eyes- I was reading the first volume of the Naruto manga, and anyone who's read that probably knows where I got this idea from. I really don't like EdxScar, if you couldn't tell.  
__Scar: I would HOPE not! That pairing is messed up in _so_ many ways…-shudders-  
__No offense to any ScarxEd fans that might be reading this…but…erg…I'll answer reviews now…_

_GalacticHitchiker42: That it is, that it is. Is this soon enough? XD  
Anasazi Darkmoon: Yay I can use it! Also, it was Envy. I'm not sure why, but it probably had something to do with the Super-Duper Homunculus PLANOMG.  
Moonglitter2: Here ya go!_


	6. Cold

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace._

**Drabble the Sixth: Cold

* * *

**

Any people who had seen Scar and lived to tell the tale had noted that he was always wearing a long-sleeved, heavy trenchcoat. Most simply assumed that it was to hide his right arm, which it was. But that wasn't the only reason.

Compared to Ishbal, where Scar had spent most of his life, Amestris was _cold_. Not even the coat could ever keep him completely warm. For three years, he had 'lived' in this country, and he still hadn't gotten used to it. And the cold seeped into his bones, little by little, affecting him, until he seemed to be cold and emotionless himself. Oh, how he hated it…this wretched, wretched cold.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Wow, this one is _tiny_. But then again, I don't think I could make it any longer than this without getting overly repetitive. Poor Scar-san doesn't like cold...Now, reviews!_

_Anasazi Darkmoon: XD That's really funny. Mean ole' Azrael, makin' fun of poor Scar-san...  
MoonGlitter2: Wow, really? Glad it was that funny!  
Madetsuchi Hayosuki: I'm surehelaughed very, very hard.  
GalacticHitchiker42: Thanks much!  
LadyRiona: I know I wouldn't mind at all! -feels honored- Glad you liked these last two chapters!  
no one's friend: Hehe, thanks!_


	7. Angel

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace._

**Drabble the Seventh: Angel

* * *

**

Lisa was just a regular little girl. Maybe a little quieter than most seven year olds, but otherwise fairly normal. One day, she asked her mother if she could go outside to play with her friends. Her mother said yes, along with the normal cautionary warnings, and Lisa ran on out. She skipped down the road happily before turning down the alley which led to the place where she and her friends normally played. She was only about halfway there when she found several men leaning against the walls of the alley; they weren't normally there, and they made her nervous. She tried to just walk past and continue on her way, but one of them reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Where d'you think you're going, kid?"

* * *

Scar was walking through the streets and alleys, thinking. He passed through an intersection between two alleys, seeing out of the corner of his eye a small group of what seemed to be ordinary thugs. He would do better to ignore them. But before he could continue on, the Ishbalan heard something above the voices of the men. It was the cry of a child.

Scar gritted his teeth. He _should_ just keep walking, shouldn't get involved, but…

* * *

"Hey."

Lisa and her tormenters looked up. A tall, tanned man with white hair and a large X-shaped scar on his forehead stood before them. He wore a yellow trenchcoat and sunglasses, even though it was a warm, overcast day.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the men demanded.

The scarred man didn't answer.

"You looking for a fight?" the man didn't wait for an answer before shouting to his fellows, "Get 'im!"

Lisa closed her eyes tightly, frightened, hearing the sounds of fighting. She was afraid for the scarred man; there were five men, and only one of him. A few seconds later, she felt herself being snatched up off the ground, and opened her eyes to see that it was the scarred man that had picked her up. He whirled around and smashed the palm of his right hand to the ground. She wasn't sure what happened, only that there was a flash of red light and the ground in front of them exploded, sending all the men flying. They sent him fearful glances before all racing off as fast as they could.

Lisa looked up at her savior with wide eyes. She saw that his sunglasses had fallen off during the fight…his eyes were the crimson color of blood. She had never seen anyone with red eyes before. Oddly enough, it didn't scare her. He put her down on the ground and retrieved his sunglasses; the enigmatic red eyes were hidden once again.

He looked down at her, frowning, and said gruffly, "You shouldn't be out here by yourself, kid. Where do you live?"

She pointed back in the general direction of her house, "A few blocks over that way, mister."

The scarred man glanced back in the direction the men had taken. He was silent for a few moments before speaking again, "I'll take you there."

* * *

Scar wasn't sure why exactly he had chosen to help the small girl. It had been more of an impulse than anything. It had been a bit of a difficult rescue; he'd been outnumbered five to one, so killing each one individually wouldn't have worked, and he hadn't been able to use his arm otherwise until he'd gotten the girl up out of harm's way. But it had worked out, thank Ishbala. Then he'd gone and decided to escort her home; if he had to have gotten involved, he might as well see it through to the end. So now he was walking down a crowded street holding the hand of a small child.

"Here we are!" she pointed to the smallish home in front of them. He breathed a sigh of relief that his little job was now over and released her hand. But instead of running off like he expected, she turned around and threw her arms around his knees, "Thank you, mister angel!"

Scar made a small sound of surprise in the back of his throat, eyes widening slightly. Angel? She thought he was an _angel_? But before he could respond, she was off running towards the door of her house, soon disappearing inside. He blinked once or twice before shaking his head slightly as though to clear it and walking off.

* * *

From inside the house, Lisa watched the 'angel' walk away. She gave a small wave of goodbye as he left her sight, and she swore that she saw the glitter of unseen wings. She would never forget him for the rest of her life. Her red eyed angel.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Awwwwww…how sweet! I was smiling the whole time I was writing this. By the way, I've finally got my scanner working, and I've got a bunch of sketches up on my homepage, most of which are of Scar-san (there are a couple of Envy). One of them is him with angel wings; it looks pretty cool, I think. Anywho, go look at them, please. Now I'll answer all the nice reviews I got!_

_Anasazi Darkmoon: XD Funny.Have fun at the mall!  
GalacticHitchiker42: I'm sure he appreciates it. :)  
Moonglitter2: Okies, here's another!  
no one's friend: I can just imagine Ed's reation toTHAT. Muhahahaha!  
LadyRiona: Thanks a ton! X3_


	8. Think About It

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace._

**Drabble the Eighth: Think About It

* * *

**

The entire military community was in an uproar. At long last, the infamous State Alchemist killer, Scar, had been captured and sentenced. Nobody knew exactly what he had been sentenced to, and the rumors were running wild. But the reality would turn out to trump everything they could have possibly come up with.

* * *

Scar stood, handcuffed and surrounded by armed guards whose guns were all aimed at him and ready to fire at the slightest attempt by him to escape, before the person who seemingly was going to deliver his punishment. She didn't look very intimidating at all, just a batty old woman, and he glared defiantly at her as she spoke.

"Scar, you have been charged with murder of military officers, and resistance to capture. Your sentence will be thus," she adjusted her spectacles and pointed to a normal chair in the corner, "You will sit in that chair, and think about what you've done. And you will not be allowed up until you have told me why it was wrong and how you're going to make it up to us."

Scar's eyes widened as the woman calmly administered the absolute worst punishment imaginable, "You can't do that! I'm a grown man!"

"Sit!"

Scar flinched at the commanding, authoritative tone, and sulkily trudged over to the chair. Because everyone, no matter who, has a subconscious fear of mothers and their terrible punishment of 'Think about it'.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Hehe, total crack humor here. That is a terrible punishment though. Poor, poor Scar-san…  
__Scar: How'd I even get captured in the first place?  
__I dunno. It's not important to the story. Probably some kind of cheap shot trick by the bloody military. Anyway, time to answer reviews!_

_GalacticHitchiker42: Yay, a trophy! I'm glad you thought it was so good! X3  
Moonglitter2: Yeah, weird but cute, definitely.  
Anasazi Darkmoon: XD That made me laugh so hard I fell out of my chair. Black leather trenchcoat...I might have to draw that...  
no one's friend: Yeah, I've noticed.  
LadyRiona: Actually, I'm going to be a fiction writer when I get out of college. Yep, starving writer living in a cardboard box, that's me. XD_


	9. Drinking Buddies

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace._

**Drabble the Ninth: Drinking Buddies

* * *

**

Scar was walking along one night when he caught sight of the Flame Alchemist. He almost didn't recognize him in regular civilian clothes, but Scar was not one to forget a face. Flame was walking with another man, a friend Scar supposed, and they were laughing and joking as they walked. He decided to follow them; if he had the chance, he could get rid of another State Alchemist tonight. They went into a bar, and he waited outside…and waited…and waited…until finally he got fed up with waiting and walked in after them. He winced as he was blasted with raucous noise and bright light, but got over it soon enough when he caught sight of his target, sitting with his friend at a table in the far corner. He strode purposefully over to them, looming over the table. Flame's friend looked up…and grinned widely.

"Hey, lookit my kid!" he shoved a photograph of a smiling little girl into Scar's face, "In'she cute? C'mon, siddown with us. Have a drink."

Scar was wearing the classic surprised 'Who, me?' expression on his face. Obviously they were too drunk to recognize him. He frowned, "I don't drink."

"You don' know whatcher missing!" the man grabbed Scar's left arm and yanked him down into the seat next to his. The Ishbalan was far too surprised to resist; nobody had dared to try and yank him by the arm anywhere in years. The man gestured to himself and Flame, "M'name's Maes, an' this is my bes' friend, Roy."

"Scar," said Scar. He was beginning to feel exceedingly uncomfortable, but Maes still had a vice-like grip on his arm, preventing him from getting up.

"Nice t'meet ya," Roy spoke for the first time, grinning widely, "Y'know, you look familiar…"

"Ah, doesn't matter," Maes shrugged, then grinned as a waitress put another glass on the table. He pushed it over to Scar, "Here ya go."

Scar looked warily at the amber liquid sitting innocently in front of him, not wanting to be anywhere near it. But even though Maes had let go of his arm, there was now a thick knot of people standing next his side of the table, so even if he did get up he wouldn't be able to escape. He was really regretting ever following these two in the first place, State Alchemist or not. Maes and Roy were whispering conspiratorially, shooting looks at both Scar and the untouched glass; it was making him even more nervous than he already was.

"Look!" Roy suddenly shouted, pointing at something behind Scar.

Normally, Scar wouldn't have looked, but the Ishbalan was so jumpy by now that he twisted his head around right away. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he cursed silently at how he had fallen for the simplest of tricks and turned back around with a glare, his mouth open slightly to speak. But before he could say anything, 'his' glass was unexpectedly shoved against his mouth, tilted so that the drink inside flooded in. He was too surprised to do anything but give a rather muffled cry of indignation, but even that died quickly as the liquid filled his mouth and he was forced to swallow before it wound up going down his windpipe. And even then the offending glass wasn't taken away, but held firmly in place so that he had no choice but to continue drinking in this manner. By now the surprise had worn off enough for him to start struggling, but Roy was pinning his arms behind his chair with a surprising amount of strength (he was still far too shocked to remember to use his right arm to get away), and wherever he moved his head the glass resolutely followed. Only when it was empty was it removed, leaving him gagging on the horrible taste and gasping for air. And then, to add insult to injury, both Roy and Maes put a friendly arm around his shoulders, one on each side.

"There, now, s'not so bad, is it?" Maes grinned.

Scar looked back and forth between the two for a few seconds before hanging his head in something akin to despair. He was _trapped_. That was when he began to feel…odd. Like he couldn't concentrate or think properly.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked nobody in particular, a slight note of panic in his voice.

Roy looked accusingly at his friend, "Told you, Maes. Told you it was too strong for him t'drink all at once."

"Ah, he'll be fine," Maes waved his hand nonchalantly at Scar, who now had a kind of vacant smile on his face, "Hey, want s'more?"

"Okay."

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Scar was long gone.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Whoo, more silliness! I'm going to continue this in another drabble, because it's fun. But until then, feel free to imagine what kind of craziness happens afterwards. Anyway, time to answer reviews! _

_LadyRiona: Oh, yay, a box with a view! -joy- Anywho, I'm glad you thought it was funny. (I thought of Inuyasha when I wrote that, too)  
Anasazi Darkmoon: Your reviews are a joy to read. Hehehe...lots of funny little skits...anyway, I drew the trenchcoat picture, but I'm having some difficulties with my scanner. I'll tell you when I've gotit up, though.  
MoonGlitter2: Hard to believe, but hey, it's crack. :)  
Chiizu-chan: I'm glad you like them so much! Scar-san can be plenty silly just by being himself; it's great, ne? As for Barry the Chopper...I dunno, I'm no good at writing him, really. It'd turn out horrible...-sweatdrop- Funny about the cosplaying, though. Hehehe...  
no one's friend: Nah, this punishment is much, much worse than that. I know what you mean about the chair thing...I've still got little siblings, so I got the idea from my mom administering this punishment to my sister right in front of me. -shudder- Yay for rebellion and breaking of chairs!_


	10. Can I Keep Him?

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace._

**Drabble the Tenth: Can I Keep Him?

* * *

**

It was the middle of the night, and there was someone following Scar. But every time he turned around to see who it was, a shadow just barely dodged out of sight. It was beginning to make him slightly nervous.

"Who's there?" he called out over his shoulder. There was no answer. He frowned and began to walk faster. This was starting to get a bit creepy. Then a loud crash came from directly behind him, and he spun around. A pile of crates had fallen over, and there was the silhouette of someone trapped halfway beneath them. Time to see who his stalker was. He went over to the person, only to see that it was only a stone likeness of a person. He whirled when he heard a noise behind him, but it was already too late. A large figure pounced, and he felt a needle puncture his right arm…

* * *

The next morning, Al ran up to Ed, holding out something that made the vertically challenged alchemist's mouth drop open. It was Scar, whose expression was a mixture of anger and just plain freaked-out-ness. He was bound with rope from his shoulders to his ankles, and his mouth was taped shut.

"MMPH!" the Ishbalan was struggling furiously against his bonds, "MMM _MPH_ MMMPH!"

"Al…?" Ed was slowly backing away. He _really_ didn't like the expression on Scar's face; it promised a slow and painful death.

"Niisan, can I keep him?"

* * *

_**A/N:**Heeheehee...the thought of this is both freakyAND cute. I've been playing withthis idea for a while, and thought about making it longer, but when I did it didn'tturn outso well. I like this short version better. Oh, and in case you were wondering why Scar wasn't using hisright arm to destroy the rope, Al gave him a special kind of shot so that he couldn't (this was explained in the longer version, but not here). Anywho, I'll answerreviews now._

_Moonglitter2: I'm glad you thought so!  
Scar's fangurl: There you are; I'd been wondering where you'd gone. :) I'm glad you liked it so much!  
Anasazi Darkmoon: XD That's brilliant.I'm working on the 'drunken trio' continuation; do you have any ideas for it? Scanner still not working, but it should be soon.  
Halcyon Azuminay:I like the new penname, it's verycool.Poor Scar indeed...  
Sull89: Thanks!  
crazyanimefreak15:Hehehe...I'm glad you liked it!  
Tealie: Yay! I'm loved!  
Elizabeth Kimblee: Ooo, great idea! I'm writing it, but it's turning out to be more of a oneshot than a drabble, so I'll probably just put it up as a different story once it's finished. I'm glad you thinkI'm a goodwriter!  
no one's friend:That's funny...can I hear (read) the teacher one? -puppy eyes-  
LadyRiona: You...are scarily perceptive (that's insanely close to what I'm going to have happen). Kudos to you!And I hope you have fun on your trip...thingy. I'll be sure to read your stuff when you post it!  
Chiizu-chan: Ehe...I thinkI just keep him in character unconsciously...it's like, fifty timesharder for me to get him out of character than to keep him in it. And, yesh, I am a huge Scar fan; evenmy friends who don'twatch the show knowwhohe isby now. And yeah, if I ever get an idea, I'll write a Barry fic for you. ;)_


	11. Adventures of the Drunken Trio

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.  
_**_Note:_**_ This drabble is a continuation of Drabble No.9: Drinking Buddies.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Eleventh: Adventures of the Drunken Trio

* * *

**

It had been several hours since Scar had gone into a bar after Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes and wound up trapped…and consequently drunk. Or at least, drunk enough to keep drinking. And, well…it's rather obvious where that leads. The trio was currently singing a garbled mix of about five different songs, and singing very badly besides. It was especially confusing because Scar kept switching to a different language.

"N'lite plura frang're cordaaaa…" he finished his song to enthusiastic clapping from his two new 'buddies'.

"Tha' wash beau'iful!" Roy hiccupped.

Maes wiped a tear from his eye, then slapped Scar on the back of the head. He'd actually been aiming for Scar's back, but his coordination was a bit…off. Either way, he knocked Scar's sunglasses off, "Oh, sorry Scar…I'll fix tha' for ya."

"Nah, s'okay," Scar waved a hand, "Don' matter."

"Righ', then," Roy took another drink, "How bou' ano'er song?"

**Two Hours Later…**

The drunken trio staggered out of the bar, supporting each other and still singing loudly. Across the street, a familiar duo stopped short.

"Al…am I seeing things?" Ed stared at the trio with wide eyes.

"If you're seeing Colonel Mustang, Hughes-san, and Scar-san walking out of a bar with their arms around each others shoulders and laughing and singing then no, I'm seeing that too," Al sounded just like Ed looked.

"Do we have a camera?"

"No, niisan."

"Dammit, nobody's going to believe us if we don't get a picture of this!"

"I think Hughes-san might have his camera with him."

"Okay, then _you _can go over there and get it."

"Me? Niisan, you're the one that wants the picture!" Al protested, but Ed pushed him forwards. With a sigh, Al walked cautiously across the street, stopping in front of Mustang, Hughes, and Scar. He spoke up nervously, as though they might attack him at any moment, "Um…hi there…"

"Al!" Hughes shouted back cheerily, "Whatta surprise!"

Mustang grabbed his arm and pulled him forwards, pointing at Scar, "Thish's our new besh' frien', Scar!"

Al replied faintly, "Hello, Scar-san…"

Scar grinned, much to the shock and amazement of Al, "Hi! Y'look f'miliar, have I seen you 'roun before?"

"Uh…no, I don't think you have," obviously they were all incredibly drunk, if Scar was smiling and didn't recognize Al. Not to mention being declared best friends by a State Alchemist and not protesting in the slightest. Al wasn't about to remind him who he was and why Scar might think he was familiar. Forget the camera; if Ed wanted a picture so bad, he could come over here and get it himself. Trying to back away politely, he said quickly, "Well, it was nice seeing you all…I'll be going now!"

But the trio surrounded him, preventing his escape. Hughes put an arm around his shoulder, "Aw, c'mon, don' leave!"

Scar got the other shoulder, "I haven' even gotten t'know you yet!"

Al sighed in defeat. But as long as he was here… "Hughes-san, do you have a camera with you?"

**One Hour Later…**

The group had been merrily wandering around the city, Al snapping as many pictures as he could with Hughes' camera. They had stopped in some random alleyway, where Mustang pulled out his ignition gloves.

"Look wha' I c'n do!" he said proudly as he snapped his fingers. Since he was a bit too drunk to alchemize properly, he produced a bit more fire than he had planned, nearly barbequing the others.

And since Scar was too drunk to realize that, gee, this was alchemy and therefore bad, he thought that it was just the greatest thing ever. Then he remembered something else, "I c'n do something too!" and with that he used his right arm to destroy part of the alley wall. Fortunately the building he was blasting holes in was unoccupied. He looked vaguely proud as his two new 'best friends' looked amazed and clapped at his performance.

Al began to feel decidedly nervous as he watched this going on, "Um…okay, I think that's enough of that…"

Fortunately for Al, at that very moment Ed ran up, grabbed Al's arm, and rescued him from the drunken trio. After the two of them had run some distance, Ed turned to him, "So…did you get those pictures?"

**Meanwhile, back with the trio…**

The three of them looked forlornly after Ed and Al for about a minute, but before long they had forgotten about it.

"Y'know, I think tha' maybe s'time t'go home…" Hughes suggested tiredly.

"Don' have a home…" Scar looked sad.

Hughes put an arm around his shoulder, "Tha'sh awful! You c'n come sleep a' my housh, f'you wan'."

Scar brightened up considerably at this offer, "Okay!"

Hughes added, "Roy, d'you wanna come too?"

"Course, Maes!"

And so they headed for Hughes house happily, and somewhere along the way they broke out in song again.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Sorry for the wait; I hope this was worth it! Hehehe…drunk Scar is fun to write. Yes, this will be continued; until then have fun imagining what will happen when they all wake up the next morning! By the way, Scar's little 'song' up at the top isn't gibberish, it's garbled Latin. It was a little tribute to my former Latin class; 'Nolite plura frangere corda' was our class motto. Kudos to anyone who actually knows what this phrase means! OH, and before I forget, several of you have been waiting for me to update my homepage with some pictures, and since I finally got my scanner working, I've updated it at last! And now to answer reviews. _

_Sull89: Hehe, thanks!  
Scar's fangurl: It's okay. Hope you had fun with your camp-job-thingy! And I'm glad you thought that it was funny.  
Anasazi Darkmoon: Hehehe...that's an idea...anyway, thanks for the ideas!And I finally got that picture up; I hope you like it!  
Moonglitter2: It does make you wonder. Glad you liked it!  
crazyanimefreak15: (Scar: -sulks and glares-) You're right, Ed doesn't have much luck with women. I never really thought about it before...  
no one's friend: Hahahaha! Funny song! And hilarious skit, too! I wanna pet Scar-san's hair now...it looks so soft and fluffy... (Scar: What is it with people wanting to touch my hair all the time?)  
LadyRiona: It reminds me of Illness too. Sounds like you did have fun on your trip. You're welcome for the review, by the way! (it's the least I can do after you review all my stuff so nicely)_


	12. The Headache of DEATH

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.  
_**_Note:_**_ This drabble is a continuation of Drabble No.11: Adventures of the Drunken Trio

* * *

_

**Drabble the Twelfth: The Headache of DEATH

* * *

**

Not much phased Gracia Hughes. Most times she would just smile or laugh; this was one of those times. She had come downstairs early that morning, wondering if her husband had gone to stay at Roy's house for whatever reason. The mystery was solved instantly when she discovered both Maes and Roy, as well as a strange man that she didn't know (she assumed that they'd made a friend while drinking) sleeping downstairs in the living room. She almost laughed out loud at the sight; one doesn't often get to see three grown men sleeping all piled on top of each other in a way very reminiscent of a litter of puppies. Managing to suppress laughter in favor of a quiet giggle, as she didn't want to wake the peacefully sleeping trio, she went back upstairs in search of a camera.

**Several Hours Later…**

"Wake up, wake up!" a shrill child's voice, accompanied by a bright light, dragged Scar into semi-awareness.

"Ssshhh, Elysia, don't wake them up," whispered another voice, and then footsteps left the area, although the light remained on.

Scar's head hurt. It _really _hurt. And he didn't know why it hurt, either. In fact, he couldn't remember anything from the previous night. All he knew was that the light was making it worse. He let out a soft groan and tried to move his arm up to cover his face, but it was pinned to his side by something heavy. Not quite awake enough to wonder what was pinning his arm down, he just pressed his face into his pillow. Wait a second…pillow? That was when he noticed that his 'pillow' was unnaturally warm for a pillow…and it was _breathing_. Blearily he opened his eyes about halfway, and they were met with a sea of pale blue fabric, at the end of which was a face. A face which belonged to Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. That was when Scar realized that he had been using Roy's chest as a pillow. He was using a _State Alchemist_ as a _pillow_. And…the heavy thing pinning down his arm…? It turned out to be Maes Hughes, whose upper torso was kind of draped over his side. Scar stiffened, eyes wide with shock, confusion, and slight horror. That was when Roy woke up. Dark brown eyes met crimson ones, and Roy stiffened as well. There was silence for a few moments…then both of them screamed simultaneously and tried to get away from each other, but only wound up getting hopelessly tangled, along with Maes who had woken up somewhere along the way. The trio lay there for a short time, attempting to get un-knotted, but eventually gave up.

Scar, who was now on the bottom of the 'pile' with his face pressed into the floor and one arm sticking into the air held in place by Maes' head, groaned again. His headache had just gotten about ten times worse with all the light and noise and movement, and now he felt nauseous too, "What's wrong with me…why does my head hurt…?"

Maes glanced down, suddenly feeling incredibly sympathetic, "You've never had a hangover before?"

Scar shook his head miserably, "No…"

Roy, whose head was on the other side of the pile from them, looked up, "So you've never been drunk before?"

Scar shook his head again, "I don't…I don't remember any of what happened…"

"I think…" Roy looked thoughtful, "I think you followed us into the bar…and _somehow_ we got you drunk. I don't remember anything either after that, though."

They all fell silent for about a minute before Scar spoke up again, "…Where are we?"

Maes looked around, "It looks like we're in my living room."

"Oh."

"So eventually," Maes' voice brightened, "Gracia will come in and she'll help us…uh…get untangled."

"How long will that take?" Roy questioned.

"I dunno. Maybe she took Elysia somewhere; after all that noise you made she would have come already if she were here."

"So you don't know when she'll get back?"

"No idea."

Silence reigned for several minutes, then Roy sighed and voiced what they were all thinking, "Well _this_ is really awkward."

Ever the optimist, Maes said brightly, "It could be worse. We could've woken up and not been wearing anything."

Silence for a few moments, then both Scar and Roy shuddered. Roy said threateningly, "Maes, if I could move I would beat you."

"And I would help," Scar added. Then his headache decided that it was tired of being ignored and increased in intensity, "Nnnggg…"

"Hey," Roy sounded nervous, "you're not about to be sick are you?"

"…dunno…" Scar replied weakly.

"You'd _better_ not be, because that'll set _us_ off and then it'll be _everywhere_ and we'll _really_ be screwed until Gracia gets back."

"Roy, don't _say_ stuff like that…" Maes closed his eyes, "You're making _me_ feel ill."

And then came the dreaded 'Awkward Silence'. Because, really, what could they talk about? Roy and Maes' usual topics of the office and top-secret military stuff were out for obvious reasons. It's not like they could discuss how the Scar case was going when the man was _right there_. And Scar didn't know what to talk about because he wasn't usually one for casual conversation, not to mention he had been mortal enemies with both Roy and Maes until right then. Actually, he still was mortal enemies with them, but they seemed to have formed an unspoken truce due to their current predicament.

Suddenly, Maes spoke up cheerily, "Hey, I could tell you all about my adorable daughter!"

"NO, Maes," Roy glared from the other side of the pile.

"Awww…"

"…nnnggg…"

Maes looked down as much as he could and saw that Scar's head was just kind of limply resting on the floor, and he was paler than you would think someone so tanned could be. Concernedly he asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Scar just groaned in response, "…hurts…"

"Roy…Roy, he's not doing so well!"

"Well, what do you want _me_ to do about it? I can't move either!"

"What do we do?"

"I don't know!"

"Not so loud, Roy, you'll make it worse…" Hughes shushed, then looked back down at Scar, whose condition hadn't changed in the last fifteen seconds, "Just hang in there, Scar," he said encouragingly, receiving another pained groan in reply. He sighed; this could potentially be a very long wait.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ OMG, stay tuned for the exciting conclusion! Also, credit to Anasazi Darkmoon from whom I got the idea for this part. But poor Scar, with a horrible hangover of doom…ANYWAY, I have an announcement! For some reason or other, I seem to have hit an idea slump, and so if anyone had a request or an idea for a drabble here, feel free to ask me to write it! I'm apparently taking some weird orientation/retreat/thing for school next week, and I need stuff to write while I'm there so I don't die of boredom.  
__Scar: So please give her ideas/requests!  
__Right! Anyway, I'll answer reviews now._

_Scar's fangurl: Thanks, I'm glad!  
crazyanimefreak15: That happens next part...sorry. -sweatdrop- Glad you and Ed think it was funny.  
Anasazi Darkmoon: XD I loved that idea so much that I shouted 'YES!' and used it. By the way...that song on your profile...the Gran one...it's the best thing ever, I love it. :D Glad you liked the pictures!  
Moonglitter2: Thanks!  
roxri: Hehe, I hope your friend likes them.I'm happy that you do!  
Sull89: Scar-san drunk is better than great. :) Happy you liked it!  
Silvertails Tora: Hehe, I like that picture alot too. It's the best Al I've ever drawn...-sweatdrop-  
LadyRiona: Hehe...that line makes me laugh...I'm glad I brightened your week, and I hope you feel better! -hugs-_


	13. Blackmail

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.  
_**_Note:_**_ This drabble is a continuation of Drabble No.12: The Headache of DEATH

* * *

_

**Drabble the Thirteenth: Blackmail

* * *

**

"I'm sorry for leaving," Gracia apologized profusely as she untangled the trio, although she was plainly amused, "I didn't think you'd have woken up before I got back. Or gotten into such a situation." It had been about an hour since she'd left with Elysia to go shopping; it had been all she could do to keep from laughing when she had walked in to find them in the position they'd been in.

"Oh, it's fine, Gracia, really," Roy said as he and Maes helped Scar, whose condition had improved but not really gotten better, to his feet. Roy didn't want to mention that the 'situation' was half his fault.

"By the way, dear, who is this? Did you make a new friend?" Gracia smiled at Scar.

Maes rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well…I guess you could say that…"

But before anyone could reply to this vague statement, the doorbell rang. Gracia went to answer it, and the trio heard the conversation that was carried out.

"Hello, Mrs. Hughes, we came to give back your camera," came Edward Elric's voice.

Roy, Maes, and Scar froze. Roy said nervously, "Maes…please tell me you gave them your camera sometime _before_ last night…"

"No…I don't remember _ever_ giving them my camera," Maes was looking decidedly nervous as well, "You don't think they…?"

"We _did_," Ed strode into the room with a smug grin, brandishing a stack of photos. Al followed more quietly, "And now we have blackmail on all three of you! Take a look," he handed the photos to Roy.

The trio gathered around to see, their faces growing steadily more horrified as they looked at the pictures. Scar was given odd glances from the other two more than once. When they had seen all of them, Roy raised a gloved hand and snapped. FWOOSH went the pictures. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Scar didn't really mind the alchemy.

"Aw, dammit, Roy…" Ed gave a dramatic sigh, "C'mon, Al, we gotta go anyway."

As they walked out the door, Al whispered to Ed, "Should we tell them about the copies?"

"Naw, they'll find out soon enough," Ed smirked evilly.

* * *

The trio remained at Maes' house (the bathroom in particular) for the remainder of the day, recuperating from their hangovers. The man had to be threatened several times by both Scar and Roy before he would stop showing off both pictures of Elysia and the little girl herself. Eventually, though it was time for Scar to leave. It was a bit sad, as somewhere along the way they had somehow become almost friends. Whether it was while they had spent an hour in an awkward tangle having awkward conversation, or sometime else during the day, it had happened.

"Hey, Scar, before you go…" Maes spoke as Scar was walking out the door, "I know I wouldn't tell anyone if you were to, say…come over next Friday and play cards with us. Would you tell anyone, Roy?"

"I wouldn't tell anyone," Roy grinned.

Scar thought on this for a few moments, "No alcoholic anything?"

"No alcoholic anything," Maes and Roy repeated solemnly.

"And you wouldn't tell _anyone_?" Scar stressed the last word.

"Not a soul."

Scar shrugged and walked out the rest of the way, "Okay."

And so the duo of Roy and Maes became a cemented trio of Roy, Maes, and Scar. And nobody ever quite figured out how Ed was now somehow able to instantly shut up both Roy and Maes by saying 'pictures'.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ I'm sorry this took so long! TT Forgive me…anyway, I hope you all liked it! Also, because of some weird new rule about not being allowed to answer reviews, I can't do that no more unless the rule gets taken away. Dumb rule…but I love you all anyway, and I'm not kidding when I say that I cherish and remember every single review!  
__Scar: She's really not kidding. She remembers _all_ of them.  
__So even if I can't answer them, I really do hope that you still review; and remember, if you have a question or really want a response, feel free to email me, because I love getting email!_


	14. 5th Lab: Explosion

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.  
_**_A/N:_**_ This is the first of a small series I'm doing about Scar's thoughts during the 5th Lab arc, since I really like that arc and it's where Scar and Al first begin to develop their bond, which I believe to be one of the strongest in the whole series.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Fourteenth: 5th Lab: Explosion

* * *

**

Scar stood in the courtyard of the Fifth Laboratory, glaring expectantly at the soulbound armor standing in front of him. It had said that it knew what his right arm was, and that was something he had wanted desperately to find out for three years. If this creature really did know…it was facing the wall, 'hmmm'-ing to itself as though trying to remember something. Scar was so focused on the fact that he might discover the truth about his curse that he didn't notice it sliding back a small panel on the wall until it was too late.

"I'm not telling you," it said in a dementedly happy voice, pressing the button behind the panel.

Everything exploded in a deadly rain of stone. To Scar, it seemed as though time had slowed to a crawl, and as he saw a massive chunk of wall speeding towards him he knew that he was about to die. Then something impacted the Ishbalan from behind, knocking him to the ground and holding him there. He felt cold metal above and around him, and heard loud, hollow clangs as chunks of rubble smashed into whatever it was. '_It's…it's Alphonse…_' he realized with a bit of surprise and wonderment, '_he's…shielding me…_'

When the explosion was over, he raised his head from the ground, seeing the other armor dancing around on the remains of the wall, "If you want to know about your arm, you'll have to find me first!" it cackled, jumping into the massive hole in the wall and quickly vanishing in the darkness.

"Wait!" he shouted after it, but it was gone. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly; that creature may have been his only chance to know the truth about his curse…then he realized that Alphonse was still on top of him. He sighed in slight annoyance, "Get off me."

Although he was now indebted to the boy for saving his life, in Scar's eyes Alphonse was still an abomination and the Ishbalan didn't want any more contact with him than necessary.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Very sorry this took so long; I've started school and was also working on other stuff. I will eventually write Poker Night. Eventually. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! I really wish I could answer reviews…-sigh- Oh, and I will now shamelessly plug the story 'Scars' by K. A. Maples, because I'm the only person who's reviewed it so far and it's an amazing story and I love it to death. Other people whom I will now advertise for are LadyRiona, Anasazi Darkmoon, crazyanimefreak15, BHS, Sin the Dark Priestess…I know I'm forgetting people, so just go and look around at people who've reviewed this because they all rock. _


	15. 5th Lab: Tagalong

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Fifteenth: 5th Lab: Tagalong

* * *

**

Alphonse was following him. Scar was trying to ignore this fact, but the boy's feet clanged loudly against the floor every time he took a step, and sound carried well in this unnaturally perfect hallway. _Why_ was the boy following _him_? Surely he didn't think that Scar actually _wanted_ him there; in fact, the exact opposite was true. Scar did not want _anyone_ to be tagging along after him in this place, _especially_ not Alphonse. Did he think that the Ishbalan would protect him…or worse, after what had happened with that explosion, that Scar himself needed protecting? Scar narrowed his eyes a bit; he did _not_ need to be protected! A few seconds later, Scar shook his head slightly, realizing that he wasn't thinking clearly; the noisily-clanging presence of Alphonse was getting to him. The boy probably just wanted to try to keep him from killing his brother. But Scar also noticed that Alphonse was slowly but steadily closing the gap between them; he _was_ fairly young…maybe he _did_ think that he would be protected.

Clang…clang…clang…Scar felt like screaming in frustration. He didn't want Alphonse following him, he wanted the boy to _go away_! He couldn't kill him; what remained of his conscience told him very clearly that killing someone was a horrible to repay them for saving one's life. The same held true for incapacitation by destruction of half the boy's body, although at the moment this option was beginning to be very tempting.

Clang…clang…clang…okay, that was _it_, he couldn't take this anymore. Without turning around or stopping, he spoke through slightly clenched teeth, "I am _not_ going to protect you, _or_ help you find your brother."

"I know," was the small, slightly timid reply. Clang…clang…clang…

Okay, so the boy apparently hadn't understood the subtle hint, or perhaps had just chosen to ignore it. Scar began walking faster, fists clenched tightly and crimson eyes narrowed in great annoyance. Alphonse started walking faster too. Clang..clang..clang…Scar spoke again, trying to stay calm, "Stop. Following. Me."

"But…this is the only hallway we've seen so far…"

Scar nearly cringed; he and Alphonse were _not_ a 'we'. There was himself, and there was Alphonse. _Separately_. Not together. He flatly refused to consider himself as traveling _with_ an alchemic abomination; it was hardly bearable to think of said alchemic abomination as even just tagging along in the same general direction that he was. He walked faster. Alphonse walked faster too. Clangclangclangclangclang…That noise was driving Scar to the very brink of insanity, "Then _go back_."

"But I have to find niisan."

If one had listened very, very closely at this moment, one would have heard the sound of Scar's teeth grinding together. There was no dissuading the boy. In his mind, Scar threw his hands in the air and shouted, "FINE!". In real life, however, he simply slowed his pace back to a regular walk, saying nothing. There was silence as the Ishbalan and his tagalong continued down the seemingly endless white hallway. Well…mostly silence.

Clang…clang…clang…

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Heeheehee…even though this scene wasn't actually in the anime, I wish it was. Funny, funny…it does make sense that Scar would be at least a _little_ annoyed with Al following him, especially since at that point he still didn't like Al all that much. Anyway, even though this scene seems fairly trivial and wasn't actually in the series, this is some nice character development here; Scar is beginning to accept Alphonse's presence, and for him that's a big thing. As always, I love all the reviews and reviewers!_


	16. 5th Lab: Hall

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Sixteenth: 5th Lab: Hall

* * *

**

It had been nearly ten minutes since Scar had given up on trying to keep Alphonse from following him, and the still there had been no change in the perfectly smooth hallway; there was absolutely no way to tell if the two of them had even been moving forward at all. It was enough, Scar mused, to drive a person mad. In the very depths of his subconscious, the Ishbalan was beginning to feel the tiniest bit glad that the boy was there, if only because he was another presence which meant that Scar was not entirely alone in this seemingly endless white passage. The clanging of Alphonse's footsteps, which had previously been an annoyance, was now practically welcomed; it was the only thing keeping the silence from becoming completely overwhelming, and Scar's mind clung to the sound like a drowning man to a life preserver. If Alphonse hadn't stayed, if he'd been alone…he gave a slight shudder, forcefully steering his mind away from that thought.

"What is it?" Alphonse asked quietly.

"I…" Scar searched his mind for the right words to express what he wanted to say, but couldn't quite find them, "I don't…like this place," he finished the sentence with his voice only barely above a whisper. His answer was nowhere near accurate; he couldn't _stand_ this place. The utter lack of life, of color, of sound…he wasn't sure why he'd answered the question at all, maybe he'd just wanted to fill the silence for a moment.

"I don't like it either," was Alphonse's only reply, and Scar could tell from the boy's tone that he meant it just as much as the Ishbalan had.

The thought crossed Scar's mind that perhaps this was what hell was like.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ This one actually was originally going to go right into where Scar was flashbacking, but it turned out to be yet another scene that wasn't actually in the series. -sweatdrop- Poor Scar-san, poor Al…I think they might have preferred the booby traps…-has the sudden mental image of Scar and Al fleeing for their lives from a gigantic Indiana Jones boulder- Or…maybe not. Anyway, yay for more character bonding/development! I heart all of you and your wonderful reviews. :D_


	17. 5th Lab: Memories

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Seventeenth: 5th Lab: Memories

* * *

**

It had been several minutes since Scar and Alphonse had last exchanged a few brief words; something about this place was oppressive, making even Alphonse reluctant to break the silence with speech. The atmosphere of the hall had gradually become so unsettling that the two of them had drifted quite a bit closer together than they had been when they started out, although they were still several feet apart. Scar squinted into the gloom in front of them, noticing something vaguely different about a portion of the hall some distance away…suddenly he realized that it was the end of the passage, and that there was a door. A wave of utter relief washed through him, and he had to mentally restrain himself from sprinting towards it.

About a minute later, the door was much closer, and Alphonse spoke up nervously, "Um…Scar-san…?" a small pause, as though the boy was steeling himself for something, "Would you please stop going after niisan…?"

Scar nearly sighed; he had known this subject would have to come up sooner or later, "This is Ishbala's will. He is a cursed alchemist who seeks the Philosopher's Stone."

"Why is alchemy bad? Your right hand…although I've never seen anything like it before, it's a transmutation circle," the boy reasoned.

Scar narrowed his eyes; he didn't want to be reminded, "It's the brand I gained in exchange for receiving the mission to destroy all State Alchemists."

Scar heard Alphonse stop walking, "Also, he's not trying to find the Philosopher's Stone so he can use it in battle. It's to return me to my normal body."

Scar stopped in surprise, and turned his gaze back towards Al for a second. So that was their reason; a noble one, but still…he narrowed his eyes, glaring at the ground in front of him. When he spoke again, his voice had an undertone of sorrow, "You two don't know how dreadful the Philosopher's Stone is."

Al looked up, speaking earnestly, "We do! You're referring to the legend that those who get close to the Philosopher's Stone perish, right? But we can't gain anything if we're afraid!" he paused, then looked at the ground, voice thoughtful., "Come to think of it…I've heard a rumor that Ishbal perished because it got too close to the Philosopher's Stone…"

"That's wrong!" Scar cried out, shoulders hunched forward as though to ward off the pain of the memories, clutching his right arm with an anguished expression on his face, "Ishbal didn't perish on its own…it was destroyed by another!"

Memories that he'd tried to hold back, tried to lock away, tried to forget…they all welled to the surface of his mind, flooding it and pushing out all other thought. His brother's failed attempt at human transmutation…the _thing_ that his brother had created…his brother walking away, walking out into the destroyed city alone, naked and covered in alchemic tattoos, while Scar could do nothing but watch and scream for him to come back…his brother…

Suddenly Scar was aware of something gently covering his left hand, and the Ishbalan stared, surprised, up at Alphonse, his crimson eyes still filled with pain and sorrow. He realized how tightly he was gripping his right arm and slowly relaxed his hold. It had been a long time since his memories had gotten the better of him; why did it have to happen _here_, in front of the boy?

"Scar-san…" Alphonse sounded sympathetic; pity was the _last_ thing he needed, Scar thought with more than a little annoyance. But somewhere, a small part of his mind was glad for what little comfort the boy could offer. Alphonse continued, sounding a little more serious, "I know that the Philosopher's Stone might be made from humans. We came to confirm that. If it's true, we'll…"

What they would do Scar would never know, because at that moment a sultry female voice, one that Scar recognized immediately with a swiftly growing feeling of horror, interrupted, "Oh my. We sure are getting a lot of interruptions today."

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Yes, I am back on the canonical track, and on a major drabble roll! Y'know, every bit of dialogue is directly from what was actually said in the series (I love that scene, and didn't want to change it or mess it up in any way); I watched that scene again and wrote down everything the subtitles said, then did my best to get lots of Scar introspective in. Major, major character bonding time here…man, I sound like a camp counselor with all my talk of 'bonding'. Heh. Love all your reviews!_


	18. 5th Lab: Defeated

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Eighteenth: 5th Lab: Defeated

* * *

**

Scar and Alphonse stood less than ten feet from the way out of the hall, but the way was very thoroughly blocked by two people; one a tall and beautiful black haired woman, the other a round, almost gorilla-like fat creature. Scar knew them, knew them all too well; his ribcage gave a small twinge of remembered pain. Alphonse stared, his tone a mixture of curiosity and slight fear, "You are…"

Scar interrupted, glaring at the woman. She…her face…it wasn't possible, it _couldn't_ be possible…she was _dead_, she had _been_ dead for nearly twenty years…"You…why do you have that face? Did niisan…succeed?"

She gave him a slightly confused look that also managed to be condescending, "What are you talking about?"

"Can I eat them?" the fat one grinned and drooled, showing a wide mouth full of teeth. Scar's eyes widened slightly, '_Eat…?_'

"The armored one will be bad for your stomach," the woman cautioned the fat one in an almost motherly way, but other than that offered no protest at all towards the idea of her companion eating two humans. Scar almost took an instinctive step backwards; he was attempting to hold back the small feeling of fear that had begun to grow in him.

The fat one grinned wider, its voice eager, "I'll do my best!"

"Homunculus…" Scar glared at them; they weren't human at all. Soulless shells created by alchemy…they were an even worse abomination than Alphonse.

At Scar's statement, Alphonse looked up, startled, "Homunculus? Wait, are they…?" he was interrupted by the fat one rushing towards him. Before Scar could do anything, the boy was smashed into the wall. But Scar had bigger problems to worry about now.

"Too slow!" the woman smirked as she slashed at his right arm; he only barely moved in time to avoid losing it altogether, but the coat's sleeve had been destroyed by the woman's claws. Before he could even move, the fat one swung one of its tree-trunk arms into his stomach, sending him flying to slam into the wall. He recovered just in time to block another swing, and managed to send it flying down the hall; a massive cloud of dust rose when it landed, and Scar lost sight of it. He was caught by surprise when the creature burst out of the dust to his side, and only managed to block one time before being sent flying into the wall once more. He didn't have time to get back on his feet, didn't have time to do anything but take a single sharp intake of breath as the creature raced towards him with a massive grin on its face. It slammed into him with enough force to knock him _through_ the wall and about ten feet into the room beyond…so much pain…he was halfway over the edge of a massive hole in the stone floor, and he saw it coming slowly towards him. He tried to push himself up off the ground, blind terror banishing all rational thought; he had to get up…had to get away…it was going to _eat_ him…had to get up…had to get up…get…up…

Everything went black.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Poor Scar-san…that must have been absolutely terrifying, not being able to get up and run/fight when something that had threatened to eat him was coming towards him. And if you'll all remember, he actually had a nightmare about it later, so…yeah. Obviously it was a really scary experience. Anywho, next comes the fun part that I get to make up: how exactly Scar got to where Ed and Al were. Yaaaaay! _


	19. 5th Lab: Alone

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Nineteenth: 5th Lab: Alone

* * *

**

Another explosion rocked the building, and in a large room, Scar began to wake. Slowly he opened his eyes, only one thought running through his mind, '_I'm alive…it didn't eat me…I'm alive…_' But every part of him ached, and he had no idea where he was…had he been captured by those creatures? '_No…_' he realized as he looked around him and saw no one, just an empty room. He turned his gaze upward, seeing a series of broken-through ceilings; he must have fallen in here. But…why hadn't the homunculus come after him? Unable to find an answer, he moved onto the next problem: how was he supposed to get out of this room? There were no exits save for the hole in the ceiling, and the walls were high and completely smooth; he was very effectively trapped. And there was no one there to help him. This realization caused him to remember, with a kind of cold jolting feeling, about Alphonse. What had happened to the boy? Had he been captured, or -an uneasy feeling rose in Scar's chest-…eaten? There was no way of knowing. Scar slammed his fist against the floor in frustration; they may have been enemies, but Alphonse had protected him when he'd needed it, had saved his life. And he hadn't been able to do the same in return; he hadn't even been able to protect _himself_. Scar was unable to suppress a feeling that he'd…failed, somehow. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself up off the floor, standing shakily and wishing that the movement didn't hurt so much; this was no time for regret. He was alone now, and he had to focus on surviving this hellish place. Alone…why did that thought make him so uncomfortable?

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Nar…another short one; I was originally going to have him wandering around in this one, but I guess not. I'm somehow finding it highly amusing that I have, like, no control over my own stories. Anywho, poor Scar-san, all alone in the 5th Lab…that's not a very happy situation at all. Scar needs his Al…hehehe, the way I say it, it sounds like Al's his security blanket or something…Oh, and guess what? This Wednesday, the 21st of September, I will be turning 17 years old. Yaaaay!_


	20. 5th Lab: Lost

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Twentieth: 5th Lab: Lost

* * *

**

Scar wandered the dimly-lit stone passageways, completely lost in the maze-like interior of the laboratory. He'd had a small stroke of luck when, after a failed attempt at climbing out, he'd destroyed one of the walls of his temporary prison and discovered another hallway on the other side. But, on the downside, he hadn't had any idea where the hall led or where it was in relation to any other hallways, and after several twists and turns he didn't think he'd be able to find his way back to the original room even if he'd wanted to.

After about five minutes of wandering, the Ishbalan stumbled upon a rather gruesome sight: several dead…things…were strewn across the hall. A closer look revealed them to be chimeras of some kind, and although the blood covering the floor looked fairly fresh, the bodies were already rotting. The stench was so terrible that Scar gagged and had to cover his nose with his sleeve; he was no stranger to corpses, but _this_…he hurried past, fighting the urge to be sick. He would have to be doubly careful now; there could very well be more chimeras prowling the halls, and if he wasn't alert he could wind up prey. His mind noted the twisted irony of the situation; he'd entered this place a hunter, and now he'd almost completely made the transition into being hunted.

As he continued to walk through the depths of the 5th Lab, a deep ache began in Scar's right arm. The closest thing he could compare it to was when the Crystal Alchemist had gotten close to him with that red stone. This feeling was a good deal more muted, but it was the same kind of pain. Just what was going _on_ in this place? Other soulbound armor, homunculi, chimeras, and now more of those red stones? This was far bigger than he'd thought it was; he should never have followed that creature in. The Ishbalan knew that he had to find his way out of this hell as soon as he could. Forget Fullmetal, forget that creature who claimed to know about his arm…he was in way over his head, and he knew it. But he couldn't quite make himself forget Alphonse; after a short mental debate with his conscience, he conceded that he would help the boy…_if_ he found him. Because of the fact that Alphonse might not even still be alive, and since even if he was alive Scar was not going to be actively looking for him, the Ishbalan was satisfied with the relatively low chance of actually having to aid the boy. Or, at least, he told himself that he was satisfied with it.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Poor Scar-san, lost and confused and all alone. And not only that, but he now has Barry the Chopper, Lust and Gluttony, red stones, and vicious man-eating chimeras to worry about. And that's just the stuff he _knows_ about; there's also Envy, Greed, Kimbley, _and _Greed's chimera-human posse. And yet still I manage to get in some more Scar and Al Friendship Development. Next drabble we get him watching through the little window thingy at Ed and Al's Terrible Predicament (I'm gonna have fun with that one), and maybe it'll get to him Saving The Day. And when that's done (however many drabbles it takes), I get to make up some more stuff about how the heck he got _out_ of the lab. Yay! -hops up and down singing- Birthday tomorrow, birthday tomorrow…thanks everyone for telling me happy early birthday! _


	21. 5th Lab: Window

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Twenty-first: 5th Lab: Window

* * *

**

The pain in Scar's right arm had gotten steadily worse as he had progressed, but he knew that if he tried to go back he'd most likely wind up becoming even more lost than he already was. There was just no winning in a situation like this. Suddenly, he was very thoroughly distracted from his arm by a garbled cry coming from somewhere up ahead. That was Alphonse's voice…so the boy _was_ still alive. And it sounded like he was in trouble of some kind. He continued on, heading towards where he had heard the cry; as he got closer, other, less distinct voices were heard. Eventually he reached a small, narrow window set into the stone wall, and it was from this that the voices were coming.

Scar's first look through the window showed him a scene that he did not like one bit. Fullmetal was there, moving a large glass tank of what appeared to be red stones in liquid form into a small depression in the floor which corresponded to a large transmutation circle. There were other such tanks all around the circle, and the walls seemed to be full of the red liquid as well; at least now he knew just why his arm hurt so much, if there was this much of it all in one place. In the center of the circle was a large group of men in prison uniforms, and he could see the fat homunculus standing off to the side. What in the name of Ishbala did Fullmetal think he was _doing_?

"Foolish boy," he growled quietly, "I should have sent him to the kingdom of God."

But he had heard Alphonse…Scar peered around the rest of the room, trying to find the boy. There! Over in the corner…he was missing his arms and legs, and the female homunculus had one of her claws pointing at something inside him that Scar couldn't make out. But it was immediately apparent that she was threatening his life; anger slowly began to rise in Scar's chest, but he shook his head slightly and repressed it. He had to focus…when had he become so concerned about the boy's safety? There were two others standing next to Alphonse and the female homunculus. One was a lithe woman…no, a man…woman…yes, it was a man, with black clothing and long, brackish hair that reminded Scar of a palm tree. The other was a grotesque creature that looked like a combination of a bear and a monkey, with half an upside-down human along the back…whatever it was, it was a disturbing sight; it was holding something that looked like a furry child in its arms. The woman homunculus stood up and moved away from Alphonse, and now she and the strange-haired man were talking to Fullmetal, seemingly giving him some kind of lecture about how he needed to act like an adult and that sacrifices were necessary. Alphonse was shouting, protesting that 'they' were human; Scar supposed that he meant the prisoners.

Scar turned his attention back to Fullmetal, now noticing the sunken, defeated expression on his face as he stood in front of the transmutation circle. Apparently, these other…people…were threatening Alphonse so that he would do something for them, something that looked like it involved the deaths of all those within the transmutation circle. What would the young alchemist do? Crimson eyes narrowed as Fullmetal slowly touched his hands together and reached down to activate the array. Seconds ticked by like hours as the alchemist moved his left hand down towards the circle, and then…stopped, lowered his head, and in the silence Scar heard him mutter an apology to Alphonse. Scar's eyes narrowed further, and his right fist tightened; he wasn't going to just stand here and do nothing. Enough was enough.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Wheee, and now Scar-san SAVES TEH DAY! -cheers- Hehehe…Scar-san saves Ed and Al's butts a heck of a lot more than he tries to kill them; it's highly amusing. But, yay, I'm now officially 17! -hops up and down- And this morning I got to open a present, and it was a freaking perfect official replica of Ed's watch (like, the really nice kind that actually does look exactly like a State Alchemist watch) and it came with an actual chain and the watch part works and OMG it's so cool and shiny and pretty…  
__Scar: Something tells me that I should be a bit annoyed that she's so happy to get a State Alchemist watch, but since I know that in a few days she'll swinging it around and playing catch with it and many other forms of abuse, I somehow find myself not really caring.  
Right, I am a pocketwatch abuser...but whatever. Thanks everyone for all your happy birthdays and e-presents that you've given me so far! -hugs everyone-_


	22. 5th Lab: Enemy of My Enemy

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Twenty-second: 5th Lab: Enemy of My Enemy

* * *

**

Scar destroyed the wall, his only thought being that he had to stop this before it got completely out of hand. The explosion rocked the room, shattering the glass tanks and walls, releasing the red liquid inside to rush out around the stunned and confused homunculi. Scar stood at the edge of the hole in the wall, looking down at the utter chaos he had just created with a small bit of satisfaction, and shouted down, "Fullmetal Alchemist. Take your brother and go."

"Don't kid me!" the boy shouted back angrily, eyes filled with disbelief.

Scar's eyes narrowed slightly; did the boy not understand that he needed to get himself and Alphonse out of there _now_, before the homunculi regained control of the situation? This was no time to argue or fight! '_The enemy of my enemy is my friend…_' Scar thought with a kind of grim humor. He had to say something that would make Fullmetal understand that, for just this brief moment, they were on the same side and that he was trying to help. Or, since it was doubtful that the stubborn little alchemist would listen or believe him, at least something that would remind him that he had to get Alphonse away. Suddenly, it came to him, "An older brother is supposed to protect his little brother," the Ishbalan spoke solemnly.

The phrase had the desired effect; after a second of hesitation during which Fullmetal didn't seem to be able to decide between dealing with Scar or helping his brother, he turned and began to run towards Alphonse. Then his foot landed in the growing puddle of the red liquid and everything went wrong.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Oh yes, Scar-san has saved the day! WOOT! I love that line, 'An older brother is supposed to protect his little brother'; it so rocks my socks. Hehehe…and Scar's expression while he's saying it…it's like 'Ed you idiot, go save your brother'. Sorry for the shortness of the chapter; I wanted to end it before the next bit happened. Wheee…I got a little plastic chibi Scar for my birthday, and I love it to death. It's so cute and frowny! -squeal- _


	23. 5th Lab: Pain

**_Disclaimer:_** _I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Twenty-third: 5th Lab: Pain

* * *

**

Fullmetal stopped short, and a bright blue light flared up around him. Stone spikes shot from the ground into the walls, allowing even more of the cursed liquid to flow into the room. If it had been confusion before, it was absolute chaos now; the homunculi and the chimera creature had fled, and the prisoners had all either been killed or had gotten out somehow. Scar, however, wasn't noticing any of this; all that red liquid, all activated at once, so close to him…he was crouched in a kneeling position on the ground, clutching his right arm to his chest as tightly as he could. It hurt it hurt it hurt IT HURT. The tattoos burned as though they were on fire, the whole arm felt like it was going to explode…his teeth were clenched tightly together in an attempt not to scream, but even then a muted cry forced its way out of his throat. Scar staggered to his feet after a few seconds and ran, but he was half-blinded by the pain and not paying any heed to where he was going in the dark maze of the laboratory. When finally the horrible pain had mostly receded and he looked around, he realized that he had absolutely no idea where he was. And now that the adrenaline was leaving his blood, he was becoming very aware of his extensive injuries. This was bad…this was very bad…he staggered through the twisting corridors, feeling his strength ebb away with every step he took. He had to make it out of here…he had to keep going…had to survive this…but at last he could walk no further, and fell to the hard stone floor. He didn't know how long he lay there in the eerie half-darkness, drifting in and out of consciousness…he couldn't quite bring himself to really care anymore.

"…think he is?" as Scar returned to consciousness for possibly the fifth time, he heard a man's voice speaking. That was different. He slowly opened his eyes halfway, and saw a pale hand directly in front of his face. And on the hand…a blood-red tattoo of a dragon eating its own tail…the symbol he had seen on the homunculi. His eyes widened in something close to fear, and he attempted to get away but found himself unable to move without excruciating pain. His heart began to beat faster…it was going to kill him, this creature, and he couldn't escape. He was going to die here after all.

* * *

_**A/N: **Awww, poor Scar-san…-clings-  
__Scar: Can't…breathe…  
__Oh. Whoops. -lets go- But anyway, as you can see I came up with this wonderful theory that Greed (if you couldn't tell that was him) and Scar met in the 5th Lab, and…I'm not gonna tell. -evil authoress cackle- But I'm sorry for taking so long with this! I'm so busy…T.T And I'm late with everything else, but I had to write this down before I forgot…I don't know how long the next one will take, since I really really hafta get up the next chapters for Muses O' Doom and Brothers, _and _write a college application essay. But, on a happier note, I can respond to reviews again with that new 'review reply' whatsit! But only to the non-anonymous ones…better than nothing, though. And on another note, there's a story by K.A. Maples called 'Scars: Chimera', and it's great and I promised that I'd advertise for her. Well, bye for now, hopefully I'll update soon._


	24. 5th Lab: Rescue

**_Disclaimer:_** _I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Twenty-fourth: 5th Lab: Rescue

* * *

**

Scar stared up at the homunculus crouched before him, fighting to quell the panic which threatened to consume his mind. It stared back, looking slightly confused, then turned its head to look at something else, "Hey, Martel, I'm not _that_ scary, am I?" The look on its face was almost amusingly plaintive, and in a normal setting, a normal person would have smiled at it. But Scar was not a normal person, and this was _definitely_ not a normal setting. His eyes turned to where the homunculus was looking, and saw quite a few other people, none of them even remotely normal looking.

"I think it's the tattoo on your hand that scared him," answered a lithe blonde woman with twining scarlet tattoos running across her right shoulder and up the right side of her face. Scar assumed that she was 'Martel'.

"Oh?" the homunculus lifted its hand and gave it a brief glance, then gave a short, barking laugh and grinned down at Scar; its pointed, shark-like teeth completely nullified whatever small reassurance the grin might have given, however, "So, you know what this means, do you?" it brandished the tattoo in front of Scar's face, and the Ishbalan gave a small nod, "Met the others, huh? Judging by your expression, I'm thinking that you don't get along too well with 'em."

Scar shook his head slowly, hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't get him killed. The creature grinned wider and reached a hand down towards his head. Thinking that he'd just given the wrong answer and was about to die, he closed his eyes tightly and silently offered a prayer to Ishbala. But he felt no pain, only a light pat on the top of his head. Confused, he opened his eyes to see the homunculus grinning down at him.

"Not much of an optimist, are you? Don't worry; any enemy of the others is a friend of mine," it laughed again, "But, I've been rude, haven't I? The name's Greed. And you?"

Scar replied hoarsely, "I have no name," although his fear was subsiding, he remained wary. To trust a homunculus so quickly would be foolish, especially when he was unable to defend himself. But still, he had to wonder…it seemed as though Greed and the other homunculi were anything but allies, which was curious. It didn't make sense, not with what little he knew about the creatures…of course, right now not much made sense at all. Black spots danced at the corners of his eyes and everything started going blurry…he could feel himself slipping back into unconsciousness, but this time he fought it with everything he had. He couldn't afford to fall asleep, not in his present company. But his effort proved ultimately useless, and before long everything had gone black once more.

When he next awoke, there was someone carrying him. It was one of the others…a huge man with wild grey hair. The giant looked down at him when he shifted, rumbling, "You shouldn't move," he looked back up, "Greed, he's awake."

"Ah, good," the homunculus slowed his walk until he was standing beside Scar, looking down at the Ishbalan with his shark grin, "Hey there, kid."

"I'm not a kid," Scar growled, not at all happy with the present situation.

Greed just laughed, "You are to _me_, kid, and you didn't exactly give me anything else to call you. Lighten up, we're almost out of this hellhole."

And so they were; within a few minutes the group was outside. Scar breathed deeply, savoring this air that wasn't stale and foul-smelling; for a while he'd thought that he would die in that lab, in that choked, unnatural environment.

"Well, kid," Greed patted him on the head again, "I don't think you'll last long on your own with injuries like that. We'll find a place for you."

Scar didn't reply; he was unconscious again. Greed just laughed, and went back to the front of the group. By the time the Ishbalan would wake up, the nightmare that was the Fifth Lab would be some distance away. He'd survived Hell.

* * *

**_A/N:_** _And thus ends my little mini-series-thing! For all of you who might've liked to see more of Scar interacting with Greed, I'm going to be writing a one-shot about what happened after this up until Scar was left at the Ishbal camp.  
__Scar: -grumbles- Bloody homunculus keeps calling me 'kid'.  
__Well he _is _about 200 years old, Scar-san…possibly older…  
__Scar: I'm not a child!  
__Envy: -smirk- You sound like O'Chibi-san.  
__Scar: -unintelligible angry mumbling-  
__Hey, no fighting. Anyway, thanks everyone for all your reviews! Till next time._


	25. Kindred Spirits

**_Disclaimer:_** _I don't own it. Leave me in peace.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Twenty-fifth: Kindred Spirits

* * *

**

It was early afternoon in Central, but you wouldn't have been able to tell; heavy, dark clouds obscured the sky entirely, and cold rain had been coming down in sheets since earlier that morning. Occasionally lightning would split the sky, closely followed by a loud crash of thunder. For a certain wanted Ishbalan, it was miserable weather; he was crouched inside a large, old drainpipe that protruded several feet from the brick wall of an abandoned building, his jacket serving as a makeshift umbrella from the water that dripped through cracks in the cement. It was blocked off where it hit the wall, and although that didn't leave Scar much room, he didn't want to risk anything collapsing on him if he were to destroy the barrier. This had been the only shelter he'd been able to find in the few minutes before the storm had really started; fortunately he'd gotten to it before getting very wet. Now there was nothing for him to do but wait the storm out.

…_meeewwww…_

Scar jerked his head up slightly at the sound. It had sounded like a cat, but he couldn't be sure, what with all the noise the storm was making. Unsure of why he was doing so, he strained his ears in case he heard it a second time.

…_meeewwww…_

There it was again! It _was_ a cat, he was sure now. He peered outside his shelter, searching for the source of the noise, telling himself that he had nothing better to do. After a few minutes, he caught sight of a barely visible grey lump of fur huddled inside a swiftly melting cardboard box. As he watched, the little creature gave another loud mew. '_That box is going to collapse very shortly,_' his mind pointed out, '_Then it won't have any shelter at all._' And he didn't care, he told himself, it was only a stray cat. It let out another pitiful wail as a large tear began opening in the top of the box, letting in a good deal of rain. '_It's very small…it must be just a kitten,_' said his mind, '_It might die if it doesn't have shelter._' That wasn't his problem, he reminded himself adamantly, he didn't care. He didn't care, he didn't care, he didn't-

…_meeewwww…

* * *

_

A now much wetter Scar sat in the drainpipe, his right arm holding a purring grey kitten against his chest. The Ishbalan was surprised to find himself feeling a kind of kinship towards it. The two of them were in the same predicament: homeless and stuck out in the rain. But for now, at least neither of them was alone.

The two strays gazed out into the rain, waiting patiently for the storm to end.

* * *

_**A/N: **Aaawww…isn't that cute? Scar-san has a little friend! Hehehehe…saving kittens from the rain must be a little brother thing. _


	26. Ice Cream

**_Disclaimer:_** _I don't own it. Leave me in peace.  
_**_A/N:_** _This drabble is set in the Brothers-verse, Brothers being one of my other fanfics if you didn't already know that. This is stand-alone; all you really need to know about Brothers to be able to understand this drabble is that Scar was arrested and sentenced to one year of serving under a State Alchemist (aka the Elric brothers), and that the three of them are, in fact, friends.

* * *

_

**Drabble the Twenty-sixth: Ice Cream**

**

* * *

**East City, being so near to the Great Desert as it was, was always swelteringly hot during the summer months. Not many people were out on the streets at midday, preferring to stay inside or at least under some shade; those who were out went about their business in a slow, almost sluggish manner. However, there was one person in the city who not only didn't mind the heat, but enjoyed it immensely. 

The tall man called Scar strode calmly down the sidewalk, head tilted slightly upwards and almost _basking_ in the sun's rays. Not even the coat he wore seemed to give him any discomfort. His desert origins allowed him to thrive in heat like this; his companion, however, was not so fortunate.

"Hey…slow down, you great bastard…"

The Ishbalan stopped and turned his head back, his crimson eyes holding a slight glint of something akin to amusement behind the dark sunglasses he wore to hide them. Nearly ten feet behind him trudged Edward Elric, the young alchemist looking absolutely miserable and even more temperamental than usual in the heat; he was made yet more uncomfortable by the red cloak and gloves he had refused to shed even in the heat. A bit farther ahead of his brother stood Alphonse Elric, the animated suit of armor not bothered at all by the weather for obvious reasons.

Ed continued to rant as he caught up to Scar, "Not everyone's a heat-lover like you, you know…damn I hate coming here in the summer!"

"Perhaps if you were to dress more appropriately for the weather, you would be able to walk faster and keep up without my having to keep stopping to wait for you," Scar replied calmly to Ed's mutterings, resuming his pace as soon as the alchemist drew up alongside him.

"Yeah, I'll take off my coat in public when you take off yours," Ed countered, the subject a familiar joke between them.

"Hey, don't start a fight, you two," Alphonse put a hand on each of their shoulders and nudged them apart, putting himself in between them, "We're only a few blocks away from the hotel; you can hold out until then, niisan."

"I dunno; not if Desert Man over there doesn't slow down the pace a little."

"It is certainly not my fault that you cannot stand a little heat."

Al sighed as the two of them continued to trade half-insults; they were almost always like this. But there was no malice in it, so he didn't try to get involved. Instead, he cast his gaze around the not-so-busy streets, a small street stand surrounded by children catching his eye. So as to not really catch the attention of his intently dueling companions and yet still let them know that he was going elsewhere, he muttered quietly, "I'll be right back," and headed in the direction of the brightly painted stand.

When he once more caught up to the still-arguing pair, he had to raise his voice a little before they actually noticed that he was trying to get their attention.

"What is it…" Ed trailed off, eyes lighting up when he noticed the pair of ice cream cones his younger brother was holding out, "When did you get those?"

"There was an ice cream stand a little ways back; didn't you notice that I was missing at all?" Al shook his head, "Niisan, you're hopeless."

"Ice cream?" Scar's tone betrayed his confusion at the term, red eyes studying the frozen treats curiously.

Al ignored Ed, who was gaping at Scar as though the Ishbalan were crazy, and explained, "It's frozen cream with flavor added, for summer when it's hot out. I didn't know if you'd ever had any before, and I know niisan loves it, so I got some," he held out the cones for the pair to take.

Scar nodded in thanks, taking his cone gingerly and still staring at it as though he didn't quite know what to do with it. A few moments later, a thought occurred to him, and he looked over at Ed, who was about to start devouring his, "If it's made out of frozen cream, then that would be milk, you know."

Ed shrugged, "I make an exception for this stuff. Now eat, you poor, deprived soul."

Scar raised an eyebrow at this comment, but raised the cone and gave it a slightly tentative lick anyway. Crimson eyes widened; it was _good_. It took some restraint on his part to refrain from devouring it _quite_ as quickly as Ed was, but it was still vanishing at a pretty steady pace as the trio continued walking.

Neither of the brothers told him about the large smear of ice cream that remained on the end of his nose for the rest of the day.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Gasp! An update! I'm horribly, horribly sorry that I haven't updated or anything in the last few months; a combination of sheer business and writer's block kind of slowed everything down considerably. I apologize. For those who have been waiting so patiently for the next chapter of Brothers, I swear I'm working on it! It's just…going really, really slowly. Gah. And I can't write all the time this summer, since I have a job now as well. _


End file.
